Desiccated buttermilk



I. S. MERRELL.

DESICCATED BUTTERMILK.

APPLICATION FILEDYJUNE 10, 1920-.

Patented Sept. 26, .1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

I. S. MERRELL.

DESICCATED BUTTERMILK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10, 1920.

Patented Sept. 26,1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Patented Sept. 2%, 1922.

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DESICCATED .BUTTERMILK.

' Original application filed April 8, 1916, Seria1'-1\T0.89,901. Divided'and this application 1115a June 16,

1920. Serial No. 387,937.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, IRVING S. MERRELL, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, inthe State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Desiccated Buttermilk, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawin s, is a full, clear, and exact description.

his invention relates to certainoimprovements in food products, and more specifi cally to a new product, viz; powdered buttermilk. This'applieation is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 89,901, filed April 8, 1916, now issued into Letters Patent No. 1,37 0,828.

Although attempts have been made and experiments carried out by me for the production of concentrated buttermilk, I have never heretofore been able to produce a concentrated buttermilk in which there was not, during the condensation orimmediately subsequent thereto, a separation of certain of the constituents of the buttermilk resulting, first in a flaky appearance in the prodnot, and in a short time in the complete wheying ofi, or separation of the coagu lated proteids from the whey. S6 far as 1 am aware, concentrated buttermilk has never been successfully produced, the period of condensation so increasing or allowing the increase of acidity as to render the proteids insoluble in the resultant product.

Attempts have likewise been made by me to produce a soluble buttermilk powder;i

both by the use of the hot roll process an by the use of the spraying process'as first disclosed in Letters Patent, No. 666,711 to Stauf. It is found that the drying of buttermilk, and even ordinary fresh mllk, upon heated rolls, destroys the solubility of the product. The process described by Stauf consisting in introducing the milk in the form of a-fine spray or ist into moistureabsorbing air does not a cot the solubility of powder produced from ordinar raw milk, but attempts to apply the Stau proc ess to buttermilk disclose the fact that the proteids of the milk are rendered insoluble during the drying operation, so that buttermilk reconstituted from buttermilk powder '1 made in accordance with Sta/11f, and which .provement connected thereto,

is the only known method of producing a soluble m lk powder, shows within thirty minutes distinct evidences of separation, or wheying ofi'.

I have now discovered a process for producing, and have produced, by the use of such process, concentrated buttermilk which does not have the flaky appearance of the product produced bythe prior attempts, and in which the proteids have notbeen rendered insoluble and are not separated from the remaining constituents of the milk.

I have further discovered that by preconcent'rating the buttermilk in accordance with my process and then drying the same by introducing the concentrated buttermilk inthe form of a fine spray or mist into moisture-absorbing air, a soluble buttermilk powder is obtained, which, when reconstituted by the addition of water, will not whey 03 for a considerable period of time, not less than twenty-four hours. The reconstituted product is, therefore, an imupon ordinary raw fresh buttermilk which will whey off if left'to stand-for a period of time not to exceed two or three hours.

These two products are my inventions, and the processes for producing said products are likewise my inventions.

In the drawings 11 have disclosed somewhat diagrammatically a suitable apparatus for carrying out a satisfactory process for producing these new products.

' Figure 1 is an elevation of the apparatus.

Figure 2 is a vertical section of the, liquid-concentrating chamber, and the vapor-condensing chamber of the concentrating apparatus.

The apparatus is substantially the same as that disclosed in myoo-pending ,appl1ca tions, Serial Nos. 62,243 and 62,244, both filed-under date of November 18, 1915, and comprises as shown in Figure 1, a concentrating apparatus -1- consisting of a steam-jacketedliquid-concentrating chamber --2--, a vapor' condensing chamber and a series of milk-receiving tanks -4-, each connected to the chamber -2- for the passage of liquid to each or all f said tanks, and like istantially closed bottom provided with a of said tanks the same degree of vacuumneeessar 4 scr be. he tanks are each suitably and m-- wise connected to the vapor-condensing ap= paratus 3 for producing in each or all that exists in the chamber 3-=. v

The pipe --5-- is adapted to be connected to any suitable pump adapted to form a seal" for the vapor-condensing chamber, and not to herein further illustrate or dedependently connected to a pipe -ti through which the milk may be drawn by a small pump -7..'and forced into and through a heating apparatus -8-, of any mown or desirable construction, from which the milk passes to'a pressure pump .9 by means of which it is forced under high pressure through pipe --10 and atomizer -llinto a desiccating chamber 12-. Moisture-absorbing air in suficient regulated volume is supplied through the air-tube --13- which, in this instance, is

shown as directing the air'into'the desiccat ing chamber in such a manner that it surca'lly arranged cylindrical chamber, or

heater 14 lformed preferably of thin sheet metal, such-as sheet tin, having a sub central opening- -15- cc nstituting an inlet for the milk.

The exterior surface of the chamber or heater l l ispneferably provided with a plurality. of horizontally disposed circum ferential drip-rings--l6-, preferably hav I ing their edges fluted, to discharge the condensation collecting upon'the outer surface of the heater. This chamber or heater is surrounded by a suitable casing l7 formmg a steam acket into which steam maybe introduced through the casing in any suitable and'wellknown manner. 1 .J 'Yithm the chamber 1t* is positioned arr end castings 'l9-'-' and '-20 carried by 'a vertically arranged central shaft -21 having its'lower end journaled in a spider 22- positioned in the opening l5 and its upper end 'removably journaled in a bearing 23-- carried by the cap -241- -.of the'vapor-condensing apparatus -25';.

Suitable vertical bars -'-26 are secured to the end castings 19- and -20- and these bars may in certain cases carry a series of horizontally disposed ring-s ap d disks -27 of a diameter but slightly less than the interior diameter of the heater l4l.-- whereby upon? rapid rotation of the better ary beater -'1 8-- feed of a pair of ineaeia l8- the milk is caused to travel in a film up the wallof the chamber, the horizontally disposed ring-shaped disks constituting dams preventing the milk from flowing except in a substantially uniform size.

The upper end of the chamber l4=-- is surrounded by a trough -28 from which the discharge pipe '29- leads to each of the tanks -4, a suitable three-way valve 30- or other means being provided for controlling the flow of the milk into either or both of said tanks;

The upper portion of the beater is prov vided with a deflecting plate 3l-- and a deflecting hood 32-, all of which features form a portion of the invention claimed in my said copending application. i

Theshaft '-2l-, and thereby the beater,

may be driven in any suitable way as, by

gearing -33 and pulley V3 4lnot necessary scribe.

to herein further illustrate or de- The vapor-condensing chamber 25-- is of the same form and operates upon the same principle as in my said copending application; the vapor issuing from the heater '-14 drawn into the vapor-condensing apparatus -25- where it' comes in contact with a series of water sprays Issuing from the pipe -35--, whereby the vapor is condensed to retain and increase the vacuum in the apparatus.

The tanks 'l-- are ratus by a pipe36 by means of which vacuum may be produced in either one or both ofsaid tanks so that the milk willfreely flow from the liquid concentrating apparatusto either or both of saidtanks, as it is desired. I

7 p The known In ercial-operation of con centratingmilk which l have found unsuccessful' in-the concentrating of butterm, is of course, carried on by batches- -that is,

a quantity of milk is forcedinto the vacuum pan, replenished as theoperation coneach connected to the 4 cap 24t-of the vapor-condensing appa- Mid tinues', and allowed to remain there subjected to the heat for two or three hours; and then drawn ed and a second x batch placed in the pan and-boiled down in the same manner.

ool entering It: is continuously being mixed, and its temperature averaged with the heated concentrated in the pan.

. These conditions not only injuriously afi'ect the flavor and keeping qualities of all milk, but have, inpractice, been found unsuccessful in operating upon buttermilk, doubtless by reason of the increase in the acid ctintent thereof, renderingathe proteids insoluble and causing a separation or wheying ed in the product.

The processdisclosed herein is a continu ous one and duced flowing layer of milkmoving over aheated surface, p efera y in a high vae involves a centrifugally pro uum. By high vacuum is intended a vacuum of upwards of 18" of mercury, the vacuum usedjn practice being from 23" to 26" of mercury, corresponding to buttermilk vaporizing temperatures of 144 to 120 degrees F. g

The centrifugal force constantly tends to arrange the heavier portions of the liquid against the hot wall or surface, but the heat lightens the liquid by' producing vapor in it, and thus compels it to retreat from the wall to' make place for the nonvapprized heavier portion, thus constantly arranging the light vapor containing liquid nearer the center of the chamber where its vapor may escape most readily, and constantly arranging the non-vaporized liquid nearest the heated surface where it receives the greatest heat.

By reason of this action, the material 1n contact with the heated surface is liquid until the instant of its displacement from contact with such surface. The moment it boils, it is immediately displaced by the heavier non-boiling. liquid and "moved inwardly, and the vapor, separated from the liquid by the centrifugal action ofthe beater,

is discharged, while the liquid containing the solids is thrown back into the moving layen of milk.

This automatic. action of the centrifugal force constantly moving the cooler portions of the liquid into contact with the heated wall and constantly withdrawing the boiling portion with its bubbles, eliminates scorching of the material which occurs when bubbles remain in contact with theheating surface.

During its passage through the chamber the layer of milk is held in contact with the heated surface and is uniformly subjected to the heat, whereby the evaporation and condensation is uniform and is effected during the relatively short period of time consumed by the passage of the milk through the chamber, approximately a minute and a quarter to" condense skim milk 3 or 4 to 1 in an apparatus of a predetermined size op erated at predetermined beater speeds.

When the mechanically forced flowing layerof milk reaches the vaporizing temperature, it is not cooled by, or its temperature averaged with, a constantly replenishedv adj acent body of milk of different temperature. All of the liquid passing through the chamher is continuously and uniformly subjected to contact with the heated wall and to thetransfer of heat by the inwardly moving tinues to subject it uniformly to the vaporiz ing temperature as the viscosity increases.

The briefness of the time during which the milk is subjected to the vaporizing temperature and the uniformity of subjection to this temperature reduce to a minimum any change in the constituents, andthe product produced will dissolve in water and will not whey ofi for a considerable period of time,

even greater in extent than the period at whlilgh wheying 05 will occur in fresh buttermi In like manner, if buttermilk concentrated in the manner heretofore described is reduced to-powder by the proce& herein described, or perhaps'by other suitable processes, the resultant product is readily soluble and is an improvement, upon fresh buttermilk so far as permanency is concerned, in that it will not whey 01f for a considerable riod -of time, perhaps twenty-four (24) ours, whereas fresh buttermilk will show marked indication of separation of the constituents within two or three hours.

Although I have described particular methods for producing the products herein powder having upon return to liquid form,

a. smooth, uniform appearance, and the dissolution of whose constituents upon return to liquid form will be arrested.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 27th da 1 of May, 1920.

IRVIlVG S. LIERRELL. Witnesses:

H. E. Criasn, R. G. Cannon. 

